Potash-bulb.



G. P. VANIER. POTASH BULB.- APPLICATION FILED MAYB, 1912. I 1,034, 1 70. Patented July so, 1912.

(lbliwnu To'all whom it may concern GEORGE E. VANIER, or STEELTONJPENNSYLVANIA.

POTASH-IBULB,

Be it known that I, GEORGE I. VANIER, a citizen of theUnited States of America, residing at Steelton, I ennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potash-Bulbs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as .villenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to chemical appara-..

tus, and to that type of apparatus used by analytical chemists and known as potash bulbs. They are small glass vessels capeble of holding an absorbent off a gas or va-' per, and are weighed before and after the gas or vapor has been passed through them, the difference between thetwo weights giV- ing the weight'ot the gas or vapor absorbed. They necessarily are small, to permit ready handling and weighing in laboratory -1na-' nipulation," and are universally constructed of glass. Such bulbs, among other uses, are

used to a large extent for detern'iining carbon in various kinds of sieel by the direct combustion of the steel in oxygen, the products of the combustion being passed through the bulb, the carbonic acid being absorbed by the solution 015' potashin the bulb. 1

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are similarly designated-Figure" 1 is a perspective view showing the potash bulb, full size. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section; Fig. 3 is a partial section, taken at right angles to Fig. 2.

The container 1 has a flat bottom sufficiently large to give stable support and is provided with a filling neck 2 closed by av stopper 3, and has a neck provided with a stopper 5 acting as a valve. In the valve stopper are two passages, the one6 connecting a gas inlet nipple 7 with a gas inlet tube 8 that extends from the neck 4: to near the bottom of the container 1 and is provided with a1 enlargement 8 The other passage, 9, controls the exit of gas through 'a gas outlet nipple 10. The gas inlet tube 8 is sealed to and passes through the wall of the container 1 and is connected to the lower end ofan open-endedspn'al tube 1.1.,

Specification of Letters Patent. I Application filed May 8, 1912. Serial No. 695,900.

The level of the liquidpotash should reach Patented July 30, 1912.

Fused to the container and extending from near the neck 4 downward into the container 1 is a drying chamber 13, provided with an entrance orifice 14: near its upper end. From this orifice in the drying chamber a tube 15 extends nearly to the-bottom ofjthe chamber 13, said tube being open at its lower end.

The operation is as follows: The stoppervalve 5 is removed, and the drying chamber 13 is filled with fine dry caustic potash, say about to the level of 14. Advantageously the potash shouldv pass through a five mesh screen, but not th'nough 'a ten mesh screen.

On top of this is placed liner caustic pot: ash, say such as will pass through a ten mesh screen, but not through a twenty mesh screen. l/Vhen filled, the dry potash should be about at the level of the juncture between 1 and 13. On top of the potash place a small wad ofeotton or glass wool. Remove stopper 3, and in receptacle 1 place acaustic potash solution, that customarily used being one pound of potash to 600 c. c. of water.

the-top of coil 11. Grease stopper 3- and valve 5 and'1eplace. The outside of the bulb is, now carefully washed and dried, a

mixture of alcoholand','ether being -some-, timesused for this purpose. After having displaced the' air by bubbling oxygen through the bulb, the valve is turned to closed position and the bulb and contents carefully'weighed. The nipple 7 is then connected to the combustion tube, or the equiyalent in which the carbon is'burned, and 'va-lve 5 is opened. The products of I combustion pass through nipple 7, passage (3,. and gas inlet tube 8,18 into coil 11, which, being open-ended, filled with potash solution, and the gas passes upward inside the spiral in a succession of small bubbles surrounded by potash solution. These gas bubbles leave the upper end of the spiral beneath the level of the solution in the container 1. The gas then passes into the: drier at 14 to the bottom of the dry potash in 13 and rises through the dry potash, passing through 9 and 10. The carbonic acid is thoroughly absorbed. from the gas as the path through the spiral 11 is quite long, about ten inches, and the moisture absorbed by the gasfrom the solution in 11 is separated from the gas again in 13. Valve 5 the bulb is removed and weighed. There is a constant circulation of absorbentthrough the spiral 11 fromthe bottom to the top.

There are numerous advantages in .this

bulb over thoseheretofore used, as follows:

: area, readily kept clean, and dccreases'the i outer area for the condensation of moisture.

base when. placed on the scale-pan. II drying tube 1s vertical, gas enters at its bot- It'is self-supporting, and presents a firm The v tom, and it seldom stops up, as the solid pot- I The gas may be passed through at a rapid ash forms a pool and liquid seal at the bottomof the tube 15 as the potash deliquesces.

rate Without fear of loss of CO orof moisture, and at the same time the action is perfectly quiet,'so that thereis no jumping or spraying of the absorbent solution. The drying tube is inside theeontainer 1 and is protected from breakage.

I claim-- V I I 1. A pot-ash'bulb comprising a container, a drying chamber Within the container and communicating therewith, and a valved stopper for the chamber controlling the inlet of gas to thecontainer and its exit from saidchamber.

2. 'A potash bulb comprising a container havmga gas inlet, a flat base and a neck, a drying chamber Within the-"container and connected to the container at'its upper end, a tube extending-from near the top of the I chamber to near its bottom establishing connection between container and chamber, and a valved stopper for the chamber having passages for simultaneously controlling the inlet of gas to the container and the outlet of gas from the chamber.

3. A potash bulb comprising a container having a neck, a drying chamber within and connected to the container near said neck and having communication with the container, a gas inlet tube extending outside the'container from said neck to near the bottom-of the container, and an open-ended spiral conduit connected to the tube inside the container and surrounding said chamher, and a valved stopper in the neck controlling the inlet of gas to the tube and the outlet of gas from the chamber.

4. A potash bulb comprising a container having aneck, a drying chamber closed at its lower end and connected at its upper end to the chamber below the neck, a tube in said chamber extending from an opening in the wall of said chamber to near its bottom, a gas inlet tube extending from the neck to near the bottom of the container and having an enlarged portion between its ends, a spiral tube surrounding said chamber and connected to the gas inlet tube at a point near the lower end of said spiral, and a stopper in the neck'having ports controlling the passage of the gas to the gas inlet tube and the passage of gas from said chamber.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence 'oftwo subscribing-witnesses.

GEORGE P. VANIER. I

Witnesses:

- SOLOMON Holey,

F. A. Nonms. 

